The NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a rookie used to be owned by Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans (back then) with 9. Now, Cam Newton has claimed the honor with his tenth rushing touchdown in 2011 for the Carolina Panthers today against the Indianapolis Colts. The overall rushing record for a quarterback is Steve Grogan with 12, and Newton still has the rest of today and five games to go.
Newton shows the dynamic power of such a playmaker at the quarterback position and what it can mean for a franchise. Sam Bradford helped turn around the St. Louis Rams in 2010 after they selected him in the 2010 NFL Draft and the Carolina Panthers have shown a lot more life in their first year under Newton. It makes you wonder what might happen for the Chiefs if they were to draft their own rookie like Matt Barkley or Landry Jones in the upcoming draft.
Newton has gone 219 of 365 on the season for 2,885 passing yards. He has 12 passing touchdowns and 14 interceptions.